What would it take for you to do what you want or need to do - to get fit; get in shape; lose weight; put on weight; improve your muscle-tone; to exercise regularly; to give up eating fattening foods; to diet correctly; to change your lifestyle and get active...?

I'm not talking about price in money terms - I'm talking about your price in terms of effort and time.

If you could "get in shape" immediately - overnight - using a magic pill... would you take it?If it took a day of self-denial and hard workouts... would you still go for it?What about if it took a week... a month... 3 months... 6 months... a year... 2 years...?Is there a point at which you say NO!, that's too long? How long is "too long" when put into the context of your whole life?

Wouldn't it be worth even, say 2 years, to transform your whole body, if you are going to enjoy it for the rest of your life?Is 2 years of regular exercise and nutrition control more difficult and painful to endure than 2, 5, 10, 20, 30 more years of being overweight, out of breath, physically restricted, unhappy with your physique?

Is the chance of enjoying the rest of your life having a body you're truly happy with, not worth the time and effort of two years?

But our bodies don't need two years - at the most they need only one to burn off excessive body-fat. Most people could achieve their goals in half that time. It takes about two weeks to kick your metabolism up into fat-burning action. Within six weeks you can go from zero condition to being able to run 5 kilometers and more; from having minimum muscle-tone and strength to getting back to full natural fitness. Six weeks! Your body is THAT effective, THAT resilient.

My 6 week Shapeshifter program has been over a while now, but I"m still enjoying the benefits. I don't have to workout everyday, and I don't have to be strict with what I eat.

One of the most trying aspects of the program was cutting out all the sugars and grains from my diet. I used to eat biscuits and chocolate almost daily - and of course bread was a staple part of my diet. I missed them. But it was only for 6 weeks. I can eat them again. I don't go mad stuffing my face, but I don't have to avoid them like the plague. And I can enjoy potatoes and pasta now and again too.

I wondered for a while if this would pile the pounds on immediately, storing fat on my belly again. But it's not happened. And I know why this is.

I exercise now, not by doing the Shapeshifter workouts everyday, but by just being more active in my daily life. I run a couple of times a week; I've been trampolining (that really burns calories); I throw in a couple of push-up sessions per week (can do one-armed push-ups again); and when I feel I need to give my whole body a boost, I do one or two of the more intense Shapeshifter workouts... after each other.

But I also still eat mostly low-carb, AND I fast at least once a week. Everything's in balance now. I don't have to work hard at keeping the shape... THIS is the reward for doing the program in the first place. And this is what some people forget. It's easier to stay in shape than get into shape. Following a program like Shapeshifter doesn't mean you have to deny yourself those simple eating pleasures for ever. It took 5 years for my belly to get the way it did... it took 5 weeks to get it flat again.

I want to share my thoughts on the value of following a workout and diet program that you've downloaded from the internet.

When I first announced to friends that I was starting a workout program they were enthusiastic up to the point that I told them I'd bought the program on the internet. They thought it must be some kind of scam, but mostly they just didn't understand how such a program could work.

Even after explaining the setup, they still doubted the value.

This just shows that most people aren't yet aware of the opportunities the internet offers. Now of course, there are scams on the internet, but if you do your research and don't rush into anything, you can pretty much assess the risk. One of the main safety outlets for this, is that most programs offer a money-back guarantee – so if you're not happy you can always get a full refund. And this is a real option, I've done it myself with certain programs. Getting your money back after 2 months gym membership is, in comparison, much more difficult.

But money matters apart, there are a number of advantages to following an online program.

One of these is the freedom to follow it at your own pace. You aren't tied to specific times or session appointments, or under pressure to be at a session when you don't feel up to it. And if you miss a session you don't lose your fee; the session is always waiting for you when you are ready. Like having your own personal trainer on call 24/7.

The personal trainer aspect is also a pluspoint – working without a program, at home or in the gym you're very much on your own – getting the attention of an expert when you need some help is not always an option. And unless you are wealthy enough to afford a personal trainer, you're going to be on your own a lot of the time.

A personal trainer would always be the best option, providing guidance and encuragement tailored to your needs... without them, very few of the top Hollywood celebs would ever look so good. However, online programs, consisting of professionally filmed videos and run by professional committed trainers, give you the best alternative.

A program like Shapeshifter, doesn't just consist of a series of follow-along videos any more – the videos are supported by a multi-layered platform of community and professional support on a continuing basis. This is what gives it the extra added value above the basic training and dietry advice.

The commumity plays a special role, in that it maintains your privacy while still giving you the chance to talk to people about your quieries and experiences... and the community is usually much greater, easier to make contact with, and more welcoming than a similar group in your local sport-school.

But one of the major problems we encounter when training, is motivating ourselves, especially at the beginning. This problem isn't eliminated when you follow a program, but it is considerably less than if you try to work out without one. Having invested in something for a goal, you have already taken the first important step. The program takes all the organization out of your hands which leaves you free to focus on following the steps and instructions. If we succeed in following it for two weeks, we are well on our way to establishing a new pattern of behavior that will become more and more normal as time passes. We need this structure to consolidate this new activity into a behavior pattern. The structure of a program ensures routine. Consistency and routine are the fathers of habit, and habit creates the cumulative affects that lead to progress and success.

Many of the programs available are created by professional trainers and nutritionists, and the internet gives us the means to affirm that with research. So it would be a shame to waste all that expertise when we have the opportunity to take advantage of it. These experts are often the top of their field, and I believe we can trust their advice as much as, if not more than, our local gym trainer.

And because the competition in this field is so great, you can expect the information to be right up to date. Of course, training systems are much like diets – there's always a new one that's all the rage, but you are in control, you have the choice according to which system suits your needs, and you have to utilize that control.

Another advantage of a program is that they are usually project based – meaning they have a beginning and an end. Completing a program to the end, gives you a high level of satisfaction, further motivating your effort, and rewarding you with pride and self-esteem.

And finally, when a program is finished, you can start again, cover what you missed, go back, select the parts that worked the best and leave the rest. In this case it's superior to following a course at the local community center.

The reactions I received at the start of my program were quite typical of people who distrust anything that is outside their knowledge and experience – but you can't let yorself be influenced by these sort of people. You have to assess your own risks, and make your own steps towards your own goals.

Most important though, you have to understand that you are not fully dependent on the program – it is a tool for you to use to fulfill your wishes. You are in charge, and you are still responsible for the level of success you gain from it. From this viewpoint, you can see that there really is no risk... because you are the factor that makes it work for you or not. This is the case for everything of course, but at least a well-constructed program supplies the structure, the knowledge, and the insight to be able to get the very best out of your training.

I want to talk about bodyweight exercises as a means to achieving optimum fitness.

Bodyweight training is consistent with our evolutionary history. Just like our animal brothers, we evolved in nature using nothing but our own bodyweight to get by. We are genetically programmed to get the most benefit from any kind of exercise which uses what we have.

Other exercises tend to isolate muscles with the intention of bulking the muscle up. This may create "pretty" muscles, but the functional strength and lean muscle you get from bodyweight exercises is more powerful and healthy.

Bodyweight exercises work your entire body and strengthen it from the core. When you workout you engage all the organs, the glands and the muscles.

One of the main reasons I chose shapeshifter was because it uses bodyweight for the workouts. My personal goal was to train my body in such a way that I would be fit enough to try-out any physical activity I wanted– and that meant training all muscle groups for optimum flexibility, strength, endurance, balance, power, and coordination, throughout the whole range of my body's potential mobility.

I wanted to be able to move as freely and confidently as I could when I was young. It's surprising to realize how limited our range of movements become when we leave childhood behind us. We used to move in three dimensions as a child – jumping and springing, toppling and turning, twisting, flipping, rolling, falling, stretching, balancing, sprinting, crawling, standing on our hands and heads...

...as adults we limit ourselves mostly to a few two-dimensional movements, designed just to get us from A to B – walking, bucking, bending... sometimes stretching to get something out of a cupboard. It's really no wonder that we get stiffer and less agile with age. And this lack of mobility is more often the norm even among the younger generations. We seem to be consciously helping the aging process along, from 20 years onwards.

Our natural daily activity isn't sufficient to keep our bodies in optimum physical condition. It's just too limited. Unfortunately, the extra training we usually do to make up for this is also mostly two-dimensional – or focussed only on limited and specific aspects of our body's physical condition.

We run and do cardio exercises to improve our metabilism and stamina; We use diverse equipment to strengthen selected muscle-groups; we play a number of different sports that improve our expertise in that one sport; we diet to take in less calories in the hope of burning fat, without building muscle to replace it. To get our bodies optimally fit, we'd have to do a bit of everything – but who's got the time to do that?

The body is capable of an enormous range of movement – and we use only a small fraction of that range. It's like owning a multi-purpose vehicle that you use just to get to the shops and back. Our bodies are built to move... and we need to move them.

Getting back to my decision on choosing shapeshifter for my training – I wanted to train my complete body, completely, and the bodyweight exercises in this program were designed to do just that. No exercise-equipment, or single sport, supplies the body with the opportunity to use it's full range of mobility, and so train the body completely – only the body itself can supply this. By putting the body through a wide variety of movements, in which it is required to balance, lift, carry, support and extend it's own weight – the body is compelled to use all its muscles in a natural manner, working in coordination – and this assures that every muscle is trained – even the ones we wouldn't think we were training.

It is now widely known that if you want to lose the fat around your belly, or thighs, or to build a six-pack stomach, the best exercise is exercise for the full body – this improves your metabolism, and spreads the demand for energy through your whole body; resulting in overall fat loss – which eventually extends to the major storage points (the belly for men – thighs and buttocks for women). Once the fat is at a low level, the muscle definition becomes visible.

This is the basic picture of getting in shape... lose the fat, train and build the muscle for improved performance. Only full-body training can give full-body fitness. And the best way to get a full-body training is to put it through a demanding and diverse series of mobility exercises using it's own weight as resistance.

Your body, and the effect of gravity on it – is a walking gym and the most efficient workout machine you could ever need. It's free, and it's always ready to use. You really don't need anything else to get in the best shape of your life – right here, right now. If you want to know what you're body is really capable of, you have to give it the opportunity to perform.

Motivate yourself consistently to make the most of your home workout sessions, with these powerful tips to keep you on track towards your goals.

1- Divide your main goal into a series of short projects – instead of focussing on the completengoal of, for example, getting in top shape for the summer... focus on the experience of mastering the exercises in one week; or losing that first two centimeters around your middle; or drinking a liter of water every day for a week; or living without one of your less useful daily habits. Short-step one or two-week projects are much easier to stick to than a bigger goal that seems so far away. The small results over time all add up in the end.

2- Measure your results constantly – This keeps you focussed on the purpose of your home workout... to get results. Expect fluctuations in your progress but don't let it bother you, it's normal. But having a consistent overview of your results day-by-day will give you more insight to how your body is reacting to your workouts. And this gives you a stronger feeling of being in complete control.

3- Don't weigh yourself – this seems like strange advice, but think about it for a moment. It's not the weight that is an issue here... but your appearance and your physical improvement. If you feel better, and look better as a result of your workouts, then it's working fine – regasrdless of your weight. Working out will burn your body-fat, and build your muscle – the end result could be that you end up heavier, but looking thinner. Do you see how vague your weight is as a measurement of your physical condition?

4- Get dressed for action – look good before you start, and you'll “feel” good before you start. It's usually advised to wear loose fitting clothes for working out in – but this can often give you a feeling of “shabbyness”. A better alternative is to wear tighter-fitting but stretchable clothes – these make you feel tighter in your body, which is similar to the effect you are after – a tightness and compactness of your muscles and skin – lean and solid!

5- Design your ideal – The easiest way to do this is to find a photograph (online) of the sort of body that you aspire to. Keep this photo on view as do your home workout – and use it to boost your committment levels, visualizing the time when you have that body yourself. This will increase your determination, and motivate you to put more effort into your workouts – and the more effort, the greater the results.

6- Remember this – every workout has an effect on your body. You may not see or feel it immediately, but it's a cumulative process, and every little bit is important, and a little bit closer to your goal.

7- Log your performance – Take stock of what you acieved in each workout session, and compare that with your performance in the last session, and the session a week earlier, and the session before that. Seeing how your performance improves week by week, day by day, gives you unquestionable proof of your continual positive development.

8- Stop making comparisons – Comparing yourself, and your body, to that of others, has no practical purpose. You are unique, your body is unique... your decision to workout is “your unique project”. Focus only on yourself and the progress “you” make. What other people do, how they look, how they live, what they eat, how they exercise (or don't exercise)... that's their business. You are your business.

9- Don't set an inflexible deadline – Goals are ok... they give us somewhere to aim for. But deadlines cause stress, doubt, frustration, and dissappointment. They work “demotivating”. This is because you are focussing on the deadline instead of on the gradual, but real and continual progress you make every day and every session. What is the use of a deadline that isn't met? It just gives you a false impression of the level of your success. Every small improvement is a success in itself – and you will reach your goal, in time, without the deadlines.

10- Believe in yourself – You have no idea of your real potential. You can achieve almost everything if you put your mind to it. Getting your body into shape, burning stubborn body-fat, building your strength and muscle-tone... all this is easy when you decide to believe just how great your potential is. Be better than your conditioning, because it's your conditioning that's created your limiting beliefs. Be the best “YOU” you can be. It's all about you. Be one of the few in the world who understand this and succeed in their goals, because they are not limited by the same habitual beliefs of incompetence and incapability that hold others back.

We have the strong tendency to put ourselves down and make excuses for not doing what we need and want to do. We demotivate ourselves consistently. You are stronger than you think – go out and prove it to yourself.